Arch for locomotive fire-boxes.



T. W. LUKENS. ARCH FOR LOOOMOTIVE FIRE BOXES. A-PPLIOATION FILED FEB.3, 1912.

1,097,246, Patented May 19 1914.

UNITED STATES PATENT ormon.

THOMAS W. LUKENS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR T0 EVENS AND HOWARD FIRE BRICK COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

ARCH FOB. LOCOMOTIVE FIRE-BOXES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 19, 1914.

Application filed February 3, 1912. Serial No. 675,362.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS W. LUKENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Arches for Locomotive Fire-Boxes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptlon, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this spcmfication, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section taken vertically through the forward portion of a locomotive fire box and showing my improved arch positioned therein. Fig. 2 1s a transverse section taken approximately 0n the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of an arch of my improved construction. Fig. l is a perspective view of one of the bricks used at the sides of the arch between the side water tubes and the side walls or sheets of the fire box.

This invention relates to arches or baflle walls usually employed in the fire box of locomotives, and the principal objects of my invention are, to provide novel forms of bricks which are utilized in the formation of an arch or baffle wall that will maintain its proper position and will not be disturbed or forced out of alinement by reason of the jolting and vibration of the locomotive while in service; to construct the bricks forming the arch in a manner so that when the arch is properly formed and positioned the individual bricks of the side rows will not have a tendency to Wedge between the side walls of the fire box and the adjacent tubes, which wedging action tends to distort the tubes, thereby ruptering the joints between the ends of said tubes and the flue sheets, and further to construct an arch which can be readily taken apart without injury to the individual bricks forming said arch when it is desired to remove the arch for inspection and repair of the stay bolts or other parts within the fire box.

In some of the designs of bricks heretofore used for the formation of locomotive fire box arches and baffle walls, the bricks forming the side rows of the arch are positioned so that their inner edges bear directly against the side portions of the side tubes and with their outer edges against the adj acent faces of the side walls of the fire box.

The bricks forming these side rows usually occupy inclined positions and as a result of the constant jolting and vibration of the locomotive during service, the side bricks tend to Wedge tightly between the side Walls of the fire box and the adjacent tubes and in a short time this wedging action forces the tubes out of alinement, thereby opening the joints between the ends of said tubes and the flue sheets, besides causing the central portion of the arch to buckle and the bricks forming the side rows are soon forced off their bearings and drop into the bottom of the fire box.

I propose to overcome the objections just noted by forming the bricks used in the construction of the side rows of the arch in a manner so that the inner edges of said bricks rest and bear upon the vertices or highest points on the tops of the side tubes, thereby doing away with any tendency of the side bricks to wedge between the side tubes and side walls of the fire box.

To the above purposes, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring by numerals of the accompanying drawings, 1 designates the flue sheet which forms the back wall of the fire box; 2 the top wall of the fire box; 3 the grate bars, and 4 the inclined Water tubes which extend lengthwise of the fire box. These tubes are connected to the circulating system of the boiler and, as shown in the drawings, there are four of these tubes, although it will be readily understood that the num ber of these tubes may be increased or dearch consists of one center row A of bricks and two side center rows B and all of the bricks forming these three rows are of the same size and construction. Each brick comprises a rectangular body portion, preferably formed of fire clay having flat parallel top and bottom surfaces, parallel side faces and provided at its ends with transversely disposed grooves 6 which rest directly upon the tubes 4. The grooves 6 are formed in the lower outer corners of the bodies of the bricks 5 and thus the upper portions of said bricks occupy a plane above the plane occupied by the tops of the tubes 4.

The side rows C of the arch are made up of bricks 7 having parallel top and bottom surfaces and parallel side faces. The outer ends of these bricks 7 are provided with flat bearing faces 8 which are inclined or beveled with respect to the top and bottom surfaces of said bricks and the inner ends of said bricks are provided with fiat bearing faces 9 which are disposed approximately at right angles to the top and bottom faces, and said bearing surfaces 9 rest directly against the outer end faces of the bricks forming the side center rows. Thus the lower edges at the inner ends of the side rows of bricks rest only upon the vertices or highest points on the top portions of the side tubes and any tendency of the side bricks to wedge will be transmitted to the bricks forming the center and side center rows of the arch. The upper corners at the inner ends of the bricks forming the side rows are beveled or cut away as designated by 10 to avoid the formation of abrupt shoulders between the upper portions of the inner ends of said bricks and the corresponding end portions of the side center rows.

It is obvious that in an arch or baffle wall of my improved construction, all inward pressure or wedging action of the side rows of bricks due to jolting or vibration will be imparted directly to the upper portions of the rows of bricks forming the central portion of the body of the arch and should any portion of the arch buckle as a result of the wedging action, it will be the central portion of the arch and the bricks forming said central portion are constructed so that they will readily change position without affecting the water tubes. The lower inner corners of the bricks forming the side rows bear only upon the vertices or highest points on the top portions of the side tubes and therefore the disadvantages and undesirable results of undue pressure upon the outer pair of tubes due to the wedging of the bricks of the side rows between said tubes and the side walls of the fire box are wholly eliminated.

The clinker and cinder forming elements of the products of combustion arising from burning fuel impinges directly against the under side of the arch within the fire box and adheres to the under surface and in time a coating of clinker or cinder is formed on said surface and which coating must be between the inner edges of the side rows and the corresponding edges of the side center rows of bricks. Thus the side rows of the arch can readily be removed without injury to the individual bricks forming said rows.

The bricks forming my improved arch are all small, of light weight, can be easily and cheaply manufactured and handled and the bricks forming the side rows of the arch are supported 111 a manner so that they can not exert a Wedging action upon the side tubes of the arch support, nor can they lose their bearing and drop into the fire box as a result of the constant vibration and jolting of the locomotive while in service.

It will be readily understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of my improved arch can be readily made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claim.

I claim:

In a locomotive fire box, an arch comprising the combination of water tubes adapted to act as supports, a plurality of rows of bricks supported on said tubes and forming the main body portion of the arch, and inclined side rows of bricks whose lowermost corners only contact with and are supported freely upon the top surfaces of the outermost tubes, said side rows of bricks leaning against the adjacent walls of the fire box and being disposed entirely above said tubes and having their inner edges contacting with the outer edges of the adjacent row of bricks.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 15th day of January, 1912.

THOMAS WV. LUKENS.

Witnesses:

M. P. SMITH, F. R. CORNWALL.

Copies of thin patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addrening the Comminioner e! Patents, Washington, D. G. 

